How vegetarians and vegans can make sure they're getting complete proteins

By Kimberly Gillan| 2 years ago

Everything you ever needed to know (and more) about amino acids.

While carnivores can get all the protein their body needs from a piece of steak, vegetarians and vegans need to consume a wide range of sources to ensure they're getting "complete" proteins.

Protein is made up of small molecules called amino acids, with a "complete" protein containing nine essential amino acids and an "incomplete" protein containing fewer.

"Protein, as we know, is the building block of life – we need it for muscle growth and repair," Anika Rouf, accredited practising dietitian and spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia, told Coach.

"Animal sources, such as fish, beef, chicken, dairy and eggs, are the best form of a complete protein."

Vegan sources of protein, such as legumes, nuts and seeds, don't constitute a complete protein because they don't contain the full nine amino acids.

Beans, for example, are low in the amino acid methionine but high in lysine, whereas brown rice is low in lysine and high in methionine – so it makes sense to consume both of those to balance out your amino acid intake.

It was once thought that you had to combine protein sources in each meal to do best by your body (peanut butter on grainy toast, or rice and beans) however nutrition experts are now confident that as long as you get a mixed bag of protein in a 24-hour period, you'll be fine.

"We only need to combine complete sets of protein every few days," Rouf explains.

Getting a complete source of protein is not so hard for vegetarians who eat eggs and milk, however vegans need to be careful they're not subsisting on chickpeas alone or they could fall short of certain key amino acids.

Moral of the story for vegans: make sure that you're getting plenty of protein from a wide range of sources – tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, legumes, buckwheat and whole grains – on most days.

Eat them together in a meal every few days so you get a "complete" set of amino acids in one go, but for the most part just make sure you're getting plenty of vegan protein variety and your body will sing.